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Promoting Computational Thinking in Integrated Engineering Design and Physics Labs

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Using Computation and Modeling, Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D) Technical Session 3

Tagged Division

Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D)

Page Count

21

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43977

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43977

Download Count

104

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Paper Authors

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Ruben D. Lopez-Parra University of New Mexico

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Ruben D. Lopez-Parra is a Post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering at University of New Mexico. His Ph.D. is in Engineering Education from Purdue University and he has worked as a K-16 instructor and curriculum designer using various evidence-based active and passive learning strategies. In 2015, Ruben earned an M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia where he also received the title of Chemical Engineer in 2012. His research interests are grounded in the learning sciences and include how K-16 students develop engineering thinking and professional skills through diverse learning environments. He aims to apply his research in the design of better educational experiences.

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Ravishankar Chatta Subramaniam

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Jason Morphew University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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Dr. Jason Morphew is currently an assistant professor at Purdue University in Engineering Education and Morphew is affiliated with the INSPIRE research institute for Pre-College Engineering and the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM. Dr. Morphew's research focuses on the application of principles of learning derived from cognitive science and the learning sciences to the design and evaluation of learning environments and technologies that enhance learning, interest, and engagement in STEM.

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Abstract

Computational thinking has widely been recognized as a crucial skill for engineers engaged in problem-solving. Multidisciplinary learning environments such as integrated STEM courses are powerful spaces where computational thinking skills can be cultivated. However, it is not clear the best ways to integrate computational thinking instruction or how students develop computational thinking in those spaces. Thus, we wonder: To what extent does engaging students in integrated engineering design and physics labs impact their development of computational thinking? We have incorporated engineering design within a traditional introductory calculus-based physics lab to promote students’ conceptual understanding of physics while fostering scientific inquiry, mathematical modeling, engineering design, and computational thinking. Using a generic qualitative research approach, we explored the development of computational thinking for six teams when completing an engineering design challenge to propose an algorithm to remotely control an autonomous guided vehicle throughout a warehouse. Across five consecutive lab sessions, teams represented their algorithms using a flowchart, completing four iterations of their initial flowchart. 24 flowcharts were open coded for evidence of four computational thinking facets: decomposition, abstraction, algorithms, and debugging. Our results suggest that students’ initial flowcharts focused on decomposing the problem and abstracting aspects that teams initially found to be more relevant. After each iteration, teams refined their flowcharts using pattern recognition, algorithm design, efficiency, and debugging. The teams would benefit from having more feedback about their understanding of the problem, the relevant physics concepts, and the logic and efficiency of the flowcharts.

Lopez-Parra, R. D., & Chatta Subramaniam, R., & Morphew, J. (2023, June), Promoting Computational Thinking in Integrated Engineering Design and Physics Labs Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43977

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